Question

Advice columnist Ann Landers once asked her female readers whether they would be content with affectionate treatment by men, with no sex ever. Over 90,000 women wrote in. 72% answered "yes." Many of the letters described bad experiences with relationships with men. Which is the most accurate statement?

A) This sample is large (over 90,000), so the results are representative of the population of all women.
B) This result is not believable, so the survey is biased.
C) This poll is biased because of voluntary response.
D) This result is surprising but reasonable because many women have had bad relationships with men.

Answer 1

The Ann Landers survey result indicating that 72% of women would be content with affection without sex suggests a voluntary response bias and cannot be deemed representative of all women.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question raises an issue about sampling bias and the generalizability of survey results. The most accurate statement regarding the survey results shared by Ann Landers, where 72% of the 90,000 female readers who responded would be content with affectionate treatment by men, with no sex ever, is that C) This poll is biased because of voluntary response. Despite the large sample size, we cannot assume the results are representative because the respondents self-selected to participate, and this group might have different opinions than the wider female population. This kind of voluntary response bias means that those who have strong opinions or past negative experiences may be more likely to respond, skewing the results. Additionally, Ann Landers' readership may not be perfectly representative of the general population, as it consists of people with a particular interest in her column.